


In Love Again

by LittleMsStark3000



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, IronWidow - Freeform, Light Angst, Natasha Romanov Feels, Natasha Romanov Has Issues, POV Natasha Romanov, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tonynat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 04:38:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19940341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMsStark3000/pseuds/LittleMsStark3000
Summary: Tony, Natasha and their unexpectedly beautiful relationship that came after the falling out of the former Avengers and after some compromises along the way...The love and respect built on the friendship that blossomed out of their hardwork on Accords, ruined by one thing:Not telling him earlier on that she actually knew about Howard and Maria Stark's death in the hands of the Winter Soldier.





	In Love Again

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also on my Tumblr, with more notes. ❤️

"Natasha, Mr. Stark's car has just entered the compound through Gate 2."

Natasha lifted her head from the book that she was reading at the dining area while having coffee. Her eyebrows furrowed upon that notification by AARON ( _Analytics, Automation, Response and Operations Nanny_ ), the Avengers Compound's AI.

She stood up to meet Tony. He definitely can find his way in and override all access requirement, which he himself created, but he might have something urgent for him to come over in the middle of the night. 

When she unlocked the door after security confirmation, he also just got there. 

"Hey," she managed to say, hiding a tug on her chest. 

"Hi," Tony smiled a little, both hands in his pockets on either sides. He was still wearing a white long sleeved shirt sans its pair coat. "Let me in?" 

She motioned her head and went ahead, both to give way and to hide whatever her expression might give away. 

"Thanks," Tony said, following her when she decided to go back to the dining table. 

"What's with the surprise visit?" 

"You were surprised." 

It was more of a statement than a question to her ear.

Natasha shrugged as she tried to look at him again. "Because we were just together two hours ago." 

A corner of his lips lifted and his gaze locked with hers. "You probably mean we were in the same event, at the same place, two hours ago." 

It was valid. They were technically not together. The gala which happened earlier that night was hosted by an NGO advocating Women and Children's Rights, and both the Avengers and Stark Industries were invited among others. She was there representing the new Avengers - Peter Parker aka Spider-man, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel and Riri Williams aka Iron Heart all had prior and more important stuff to attend to. Tony was there representing his company.

That morning, he offered to pick her up and bring her back to the compound, but she declined and brought her own ride, one of the team's service vehicles but would also pass as a luxury car - thanks again to SI. The whole night, they barely stood within each other's arm reach except when they greeted upon arrival and said goodbye.

During her short stay at the venue, she also caught him tied up with different groups and personalities. She mentally applaud how he has improved his interaction skills in times like that through the years, while she also mentally cursed herself for wanting to glance his way from time to time. 

So yes, they were far from being together two hours ago.

"Right."

Tony sat on the table instead of the chairs. "How are you?"

"Fine," she leaned back on the marble counter, still standing, and replied without much thought. 

"The kids?" 

"In their rooms. And stop calling them kids; you've actually recruited them so they have to be called grown-ups helping to save the world," she quipped. 

He chuckled bluntly. "Compared to us, they are babies." 

"Way to acknowledge that we aren't any younger."

"Acceptance is key to a certain level of peace." 

She rolled her eyes as she turned to the nearby coffeemaker, which contained what was left of her brew. "Coffee?" 

"Our usual." 

The response was short, instant, and it hit her like a bullet.

Our. Their brew. The only thing they wanted around every waking day back at the penthouse... aside from each other.

Natasha discreetly breathed heavily, her back still on him. 

"Seriously - why are you here, Tony? Do you really just want to check on Peter, Kamala and Riri?" her tone was flat, going for emotionless response contrary to her heartbeat that she could almost hear now. 

"I asked how you are first."

She sensed Tony's pitch lowered, too. 

"It's not as if you don't have at least an eye on us here in the compound. AARON reports everything to your AI."

He sighed, seemingly intentional for her to catch. "Then maybe I just want to talk."

"At 11 in the evening, yeah?" she retorted as she placed a cup of coffee before him on the table. 

"I've been thinking of coming over since 9." 

She could feel heat rising to her face, and her jaw clenched a little. The next thing she knew, she had let out words which she hoped she could take back. 

"And, of all the days, you decided that you want to talk today."

Silence followed.

Natasha could not believe that her brain-to-mouth filter just disabled. 

Probably, Tony could not either.

"You remember," his voice hinted amazement.

"I'm somehow not as bad as you are with dates," she pivoted again to walk to the sink, placing her used mug there and also putting more distance between them. 

"Luckily, FRIDAY isn't, too. She prompted me this morning about our anniversary."

Unfortunately for her, Tony stood from the table and started closing that distance. 

"Guess it's time to update programming." The line behind her own words tasted like bitterpill. 

He stopped a couple of feet away from her. His straight look on her suddenly grew tender.

"I'm sorry, Tash." 

Hearing the nickname, his former term of endearment for her, constricted her throat.

Their unexpectedly beautiful relationship that came after the falling out of the former Avengers and after some compromises along the way; the love and respect built on the friendship that blossomed out of their hardwork on Accords... ruined by one thing:

Not telling him earlier on that she actually knew about Howard and Maria Stark's death in the hands of the Winter Soldier.

She swallowed the invisible lump.

"Tony, I am sorry. You snapped on me because I was at fault, and believe me, I completely understand. I would've reacted the same way if I were you." 

"I lied, too." Tony stepped nearer to her. "It wasn't true that I wanted you out." 

Tears brimmed through her eyes so she looked down, hiding them from him. She bit her lips to stop them from trembling. "I deserve it."

"It wasn't what I felt, Tash. I was mad, and hurt, and they slipped out before I could think about them. You don't deserve any of that." 

His words that night when he learned - figured out rather - that she might knew something about his parents' murder replayed in her mind. 

_"You just broke my trust again, Natasha. I don't know what else I have left for you."_

Tony was just standing across her that time, same as their present distance, but she felt him so far away; giant walls in between them. 

How she wanted to protect him from feeling his pain.

How she wanted to shield him from the nightmares that would surely follow in the coming nights.

How she wanted to say that, apart from keeping what she knew, everything else between them was true. 

How she wanted to just feel him physically, touch him at the very least.

But he would not let her. So instead, she said:

_"Maybe I should leave -"_

She meant to say temporarily or in the meantime while they think through the situation, until he responded with cold, piercing stare and colder tone.

_"Maybe you should."_

That actually hurt more. Less words, no shouting, but a whole lot of indifference.

It took more than a month before she saw him again, and they were back to the professional, teammates-only interaction they used to have before the original Avengers blew off. She stayed at the compound which housed the new breed of Earth defenders and stood as their guardian.

When Tony arrived with a date in one of their event engagements three months later, she then killed all of her remaining hopes that they can still be fixed... that she can be fixed.

_Indeed, everything that I touch breaks. It's too much to wish for something normal, something more human._

She drove around the city one night. Tears just continually rolled down her cheeks but she never made a sound. No stopovers, she went on for hours until nothing comes out of her eyes anymore. The following day, back was the Agent Romanoff - strategic, analytical and distant.

"I shouldn't have -" Tony started but was cut off immediately.

"Stop. Just... don't." It was too weak for an order. Almost a plea. 

Instead of talking back, he gently gathered her in his arms.

Natasha could definitely let herself go in multiple ways, but her arms were stuck, crossed on her chest, unwilling to move. Tony pulled away and held her face gently, his brown eyes soft on her green ones, conveying more than words, giving her hope again.

"By now, you should know that I tend to do the exact opposite what I'm told to do."

Despite the quip, fear ran through her nerves; because right there, she wanted to gamble one more time - history and logic be damned. He was and will always be worth it.

And Natasha recognized that Tony, at that very moment, was taking the risks for her, too.

She tugged on his shirt to kiss him hard, demanding an unfiltered response. He willingly obliged. Each touch, each movement, communicated their wants and needs.

When they finally pulled apart, they ended up snuggled on a couch at the common area, and just spent the whole night talking - with confessions, apologies, a bit more tears and new unspoken promises.

**Author's Note:**

> This goes to everyone who still loves IronWidow at this day and age. ALWAYS. ❤️


End file.
